Last day in the desert

We spent our last full day on our feet, starting at 7 am with 18 holes of golf. Art played, I drove the cart and scavenged a huge windfall lemon along the course. We finished by 9 am, and after a brief break for breakfast headed across town to the Palm Springs tramway. The tram slow rotates as it climbs 6000 feet from desert to snow in the Mt. San Jacinto state park. Too much ice on the trail for serious hiking, but the views of the valley and the mountains were both exhilarating and vertiginous. I certainly will have falling and flying dreams tonight!

Tram car at the base station

From prehistory to mid-century: this is the "house of tomorrow " that Elvis rented for his honeymoon in 1967. This is the only certified celebrity house we found but they're all over Palm Springs if you can see anything then the high walls or impenetrable hedges. 

The best for last - the Palm Springs art museum with outstanding modern and American Western art.  It had works from Picasso and Calder to today's artists including Ai Wei-Wei.  An amazing gem of a museum with many very wealthy donors!  No photos but great memories.

Now winding down after great fish tacos and soaking in the hot tub. So hard to face leaving the 80 degree sunny desert for the coldest weather of 2015 at home.  We hope to come back with a crowd next year!

Wednesday in the desert

Biggest highlight- catching up with a middle and high school best friend after 44 years. Liz Green has the same dry wit and laid back personality, and hasn't put on any baby weight, darn her!  She's never leaving CA and I don't blame her. I need a little desert hideaway myself. 

Also hit the pool and downtown PS. Tomorrow the tram, art museum, and celebrity-house seeking. 

After a nice liquid lunch 

Day 1 in the desert

Morning view from the patio. Conferees briskly walk by in Hawaiian shirts and badges to their sales meeting.  

This morning Art shot his best round EVER on the resort golf course with greens like velvet. I hiked at the 1000 Palms Nature preserve, with native palm oases watered by springs rising out of the San Andreas fault. The trail ran right along the fault. I learned a few factoids, e.g., that the iconic western tumbleweed came over from Russia in flax imports in the 1800s, sighted a butterfly, bird, and lizard but no other wildlife. Lots of sightings of other hikers, mostly seniors, and I yield to no one in my admiration for their energy and endurance.  Even with canes and limps, they hit the trails in their shorts and baseball caps. May we all do so well in our 70s plus!

This afternoon we enjoyed the pools and hot tubs, including water slides. Tomorrow I meet a high school friend I haven't seen in 45 years! I've warned her I'm a lot fatter; can't wait to catch up with her. Then we'll explore downtown Palm Springs including the art museum. 

A few photos from today's hike-

Butterfly on the path

Looking down the fault line

Into the desert

We landed to 84 degrees and glorious warm sun. A stop at the Visitors Center earned a great dining tip - the fish tacos at Fishermen's Cafe. Best i ever had - maybe because they came deep-fried, not grilled? We could slice each  huge (compared to Eastern) oyster into about 3 bites each - they too came dep-fried and delicious. 

Highlights - catching rays and admiring the mountain views on our patio; getting a sharp bite  on my toe from a resident duck when I didn't feed him; taking a walk around the property that yielded a huge windfall grapefruit from a resident's tree; sitting by the fire pit on the restaurant patio feeling grateful we weren't there on a work trip like the folks small-talking around us; enjoying the good cheap California wine! What different paths our family would've taken if my parents had stayed in their (almost) home state. 

Tomorrow - early golf for Art, a hike at 1000 Palms preserve for me (can't wait to straddle the San Andreas fault), and a visit to downtown to check out  the modernist buzz. And definitely more good food and wine!

Patio view

My windfall grapefruit

2015 Palm Springs getaway

Waiting in Dallas for our flight to the sun and the Rat Pack's California desert getaway, just in time for Ol' Blue Eyes' centennial. 

You know you're in Texas when the shop selling expensive western gear displays a large taxidermist-stuffed wolf. And the travelers look much more stylish than the fashion-challenged of DC. The men wear collared shirts, the women eschew badly-fitting outfits and bad hair, and no one wears t-shirts spouting goofy or profane messages. I find that especially quite refreshing.